Dr. Robert “Bob” Davis, 87, of Galesburg, Illinois, passed away peacefully on August 18, 2021, surrounded by his family at St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois.
A native of Galesburg, Bob was born on February 18, 1934, the son of Robert F. and Lela (Sholl) Davis and was brother to Lola Davis and Winona (Davis) Coughlin.
He married Loretta Lemay in Worcester, Massachusetts, and together they raised a family of four children; Mark, Duane, Ellen, and Denise.
Robert is survived by his former wife Loretta (Lemay) Davis of Pensacola, Florida, and their children; Dr. R. Duane Davis, Jr., and wife Dr. Suzette Casal, of Winter Park, Florida, his daughter, Ellen Davis, of Huntington, Massachusetts. Bob had four wonderful grandchildren, Amanda Lourenco and Jackson Davis both of California, Alexandra Davis and Gabriella Davis of Florida.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents and sisters Lola and Winona along with his son Mark Davis and daughter Denise Davis.
Bob graduated from Galesburg High School in 1952. He attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut as an Illinois Scholar. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1956 with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and was named to the Phi Betta Kappa Honor Society. He began his career as an Engineer for DuPont in Charleston, West Virginia. He returned to school and obtained his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois in 1968. He taught at Purdue University and later became a Professor in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at the University of Massachusetts where he taught for 22 years, retiring in 1990. Robert was a member of many professional societies including The Institute of Operations Research and Management Sciences (INFORMS), American Society of Quality Control (ASQC), and American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS).
Bob enjoyed woodworking and home renovations. He, along with his wife, restored and modernized a 1776 colonial house in Sunderland, Massachusetts. He was happy doing projects at his various homes and had a workshop wherever he lived. He built furniture, cabinets and enjoyed tackling almost any home improvement project. He had a love for fishing and took great pleasure in teaching his children and grandchildren as his father had taught him.
A Celebration of Life will be scheduled at a later date. The family welcomes a sharing of memories for the celebration of his life, and online condolences may be made at www.h-p-w.com. Memorial contributions may be directed to The Orpheum Theatre of Galesburg (https://www.galesburgorpheum.org/orpheumsupport) or the United Way of Knox County DPIL – Dolly Parton Imagination Library (https://unitedway-knoxcounty.org/dolly-parton-s-imagination-library).
